After the Denver Broncos won their first home game of the year against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, they sit at 2-5. The oddsmakers have set the Bronco’s regular season record over/ under at five and a half. With 10 games remaining, the Bronco’s hardest opponents are ahead of them. Can the Broncos pull a few games out and beat the oddsmakers?
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Why You Should Take the Over on the Broncos Record
Games The Broncos Will Win
Due to a terrible start and a very mismanaged team, there aren’t any games you should feel confident about the Broncos winning. But there are a few games where Denver’s opponents are struggling just as hard, if not more. These games are a must-win if the Broncos hope to win more than five games this year.
The New England Patriots (2-5)
The first, and most important opponent is the Patriots. Through seven games, Mac Jones and his offense have been anything but stellar. As the starting quarterback, Jones has thrown only seven touchdowns while throwing an equal amount of interceptions. His less-than-impressive play has led to Jones being benched multiple times during the course of the season.
It seems that coach Bill Belichick has lost his magic touch so far this season, starting with the worst record he’s ever had as a head coach. His offense is ranked 8th lowest in yards per game and his defense ranks 9th highest for points allowed per game. The team is being outscored by 76 points. By the time the Broncos face them on Christmas Eve, Belichick will have had to find a way to fix a team that can neither score nor stop opponents from scoring.
This game is a must-win for the Broncos. Taking advantage of a team that struggles to win should be the easy part of their path to six wins. If they can’t do that, they’re very likely to stay at two wins for the rest of the year.
The Minnesota Vikings (3-4)
The Minnesota Vikings are a team struggling to find wins. Every single game they have played has been won or lost by seven points or less. Whether it’s the offense, the defense, or even the coaching staff, a part of the team always fails to perform when it matters most.
The Vikings haven’t had easy opponents to start the year. They’ve lost to the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (5-1). The Vikings have also lost to the struggling Las Angeles Chargers (2-4) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3). At the start of the season, the Vikings were projected to embarrass teams like these, but injuries and bad play allowed bad teams like these to beat them. Impressively, they beat the San Francisco 49ers (5-2) on Monday, a team that is considered a Super Bowl contender. But their two other wins were against the Chicago Bears (2-5) and the Carolina Panthers (0-6). These teams are struggling in every fashion, but the Vikings played down to their opponents and made both games close.
When the two-minute warning is taken in the 4th quarter of week 11, the Broncos have to take advantage of a team that can’t make the clutch plays in the biggest moments.
The Las Vegas Raiders (3-4)
When the Broncos head to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in week 18 their season will, more than likely, be over. But that doesn’t mean that the Broncos will fold and allow their Division rival to walk all over them. Las Vegas has struggled under Josh McDaniels this season. McDaniels’ offense has been less than impressive, despite having star wideout Davante Adams. The Raiders have only scored over 20 points once this season and have failed to beat a team above .500.
In their first meeting, the Raiders beat the Broncos 17-16. In a game where there were more penalty yards than rushing yards, the Raiders took advantage of a missed field goal, a missed extra point, and a Broncos offense that turned stagnant at the end of the first half. Since then, the Raiders have been trending downward offensively. After being blown out by the Bears 31-12 last weekend, Josh McDaniels job is on the line and Davante Adams is showing signs of wanting out.
If the Raiders continue to struggle with Jimmy Garoppolo, the Broncos can easily run up the score. They’ll have to beat their rival and stop the seven-game losing streak if they want more than five wins this season. This should be one of their easier opponents, so if they can’t win in Vegas, they probably can’t win anywhere.
How The Broncos Can Record Their Sixth Win
If they beat the three teams above, the Bronco’s record will be at five wins, needing one more. The rest of the opponents they face aren’t easy, so they’ll need a bit of luck to secure the sixth win.
The Chiefs, the Lions, and the Bills are almost sure losses that the Broncos would need a miracle to win. These teams are offensively and defensively superior to the Broncos. If the Broncos manage to sneak out a win against any of these teams, then they may have a chance at the playoffs. Sadly, the Broncos are not a playoff team, so they’ll have to find that win somewhere else.
The three teams that the Broncos may be able to beat are the Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cleveland Browns. All three of these teams have had struggles this season. The Texans have a young quarterback, CJ Stroud, who has led them to three wins while only throwing one interception. The Browns have the best defense in the league, forcing turnovers and destroying quarterbacks. The Chargers have an explosive offense that can put up points at will. Though all of them have looked better than the Broncos, they’ve shown signs of weakness.
Why The Broncos Can Be Competitive
The Broncos can exploit all of these teams in different ways. The Texans have a young quarterback and a defense that allows 351 yards a game. The Broncos can force mistakes and capitalize on a young team that is prone to losing to teams with good running games. The Cleveland Browns have a struggling offense that has given the ball away 14 times this season, second most in the league. If the Broncos can capitalize on Cleveland turnovers, the Broncos may be able to steal a win.
The Broncos Best Chance
The Chargers are the best chance the Broncos have for their sixth win. Since 2016 the Chargers and Broncos have tied their season series six out of seven times. If the rivalry continues the way it has been, the Broncos should get a win at home. The Chargers have also been struggling as a team. Even though their offense is electric, their defense falls short of spectacular. The Charger’s defense gives up the second most yardage per game and an average of 26 points a game. If the Broncos can use these stats to their advantage, they can surely beat the Chargers and get their record to six wins.
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